1. Technical Field
Embodiments relate generally to techniques for exchanging audio/video information. More particularly, certain embodiments provide techniques for controlling an audio/video device to selectively receive or send audio/video information.
2. Background Art
The size of computers and other audio/video (AV) capable electronic devices continue to scale with successive improvements in integrated circuit (IC) fabrication techniques. Consequently, there is a general trend toward a wider variety of AV devices, notably smaller AV devices, implementing functionality to support higher throughput and/or higher quality of AV information.
Certain conventional AV devices include a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector or other such hardware for coupling to some other device, where the AV device operates as a source to provide AV information to the other device via the connector. Typical examples of conventional AV sources include a camcorder, digital camera, personal computer (e.g. tablet, notebook, laptop, desktop and/or the like), smart phone, video game console, DVD player, digital video recorder (DVR), set-top box, plug-in storage peripheral or other such device which is capable of sending AV information to some other device.
Other conventional AV devices operate as a sink to receive AV information from another device via such coupling hardware. Typical examples of conventional AV sinks include a television, monitor, display, home theater receiver, personal computer, projector or other such device which is capable of receiving AV information from some AV source.
One consequence of the current trends in AV technology is smaller and/or higher-capacity AV devices placing an increasing premium on the area which is taken up by multiple AV connectors. Another consequence of current trends is the increasing variety of combinations of AV devices which may be coupled to one another to exchange AV information. Due to such consequences, systems which exchange AV information between electronic devices are increasingly prone to inefficiencies in how such devices are to couple to and communicate with one another.